Disposable surgical holder and counter



Dec. 2, 1969 A. M. CHAPEL 3,481,462

DISPOSABLE SURGICAL HOLDER AND COUNTER Filed Jan. 10, 1969 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ANNETTE M. CHAPEL BY 00% W I a ATTORNEYS Dec. 2,1969 A. M. CHAPEL 3,481,462

DISPOSABLE SURGICAL HOLDER AND COUNTER Filed Jan. 10, 1969 2Sheets-Sheet 2 FIGS a a r r J as I 68 64 II T r F s j /3:4 ;\5 1 T1370 444 (SE1 '6? \C 3 48 [I 1 32 fi l-7 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS ANNETTE M. CHAPEL United States Patent 3,481,462 DISPOSABLESURGICAL HOLDER AND COUNTER Annette M. Chapel, St. Ignace, Mich.,assignor to Windsor Nuclear, Inc., South Windsor, Conn., a corporationof Connecticut Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 717,630,

Apr. 1, 1968. This application Jan. 10, 1969, Ser. No. 795,400

Int. Cl. A61b 19/02; B65d 1/34; A61f 13/00 US. Cl. 20663.2 18 ClaimsABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A disposable surgical holder and counter orpackage having a base made from an open cell polyethylene foam material.The base is elongated and has a transverse rectangular cross sectionthroughout the longitudinal extent thereof. A plurality oflongitudinally spaced apart openings are provided in the base betweenthe upper and lower surfaces thereof for receiving and firmly holdingsurgical elements such as dissector sponges, cottonoids, and variousother operating room products or surgical elements. An adhesive materialis applied to the lower surface of the base, with a removable tear stripor backing being superimposed over the adhesive material during themanufacture thereof to cover the adhesive material prior to use of thedisposable surgical holder and counter in an operating room. In use thetear strip is removed from the base and the base is then adhesivelysecured to a hospital table or other support surface thereby renderingsame immovable in the event the table is turned over or is bumped. Thesurgical elements in the base remain in place even if the table isturned over or is bumped due to the tight fit between the elements andthe cavities or openings in the base. The surgical elements may be selectively removed from the base during the performance of a surgicaloperation and then replaced in the base after use whereby the doctor ornurse may make an exact visual accounting of the surgical elements todetermine at a glance and to thereby insure that all of such elementshave been removed from the patients body. After use the entire surgicalholder and counter (including the surgical elements) is discarded.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is 'acontinuation-in-part of my copending application, Ser. No. 717,630,entitled Disposable Surgical Holder and Counter, filed Apr. .1, 1968.

In another embodiment of the invention the disposable surgical holderand counter includes a base made, as an example, from an open cellpolyurethane foam material, said base having a plurality of openingsarranged in two rows between the upper and lower surfaces thereof forreceiving and firmly holding surgical elements such as sponges, etc.Surgical elements are received in the openings, with portions of eachelement extending upwardly from the top surface of the base. A plasticcover is provided having in the top surface thereof two rows ofrecesses, the number of arrangement of the recesses corresponding to thenumber of arrangement of the openings in the base. Each recess receivesthe upstanding exposed portion of the sponge or other surgical elementheld firmly in the base. The cover, which may be made from a lightweightplastic material, extends completely over' the top and sides of the baseand the surgical elements therein. A removable tear strip, as anexample, may be used to seal the base and cover together to provide ,aseal-tight package. In use, the plastic cover is removed from the baseand is then inverted, with the top exterior surface Patented Dec. 2,1969 of the cover being adhesively secured to a support. After thesponges or other surgical elements have been removed from the base andused they are placed in the recesses in the cover whereby the doctor ornurse may make an exact visual accounting of the surgical elements todetermine at a glance and to thereby insure that all of such elementshave been removed from the patients body. Thereafter the cover with theused surgical elements therein is discarded along with the base.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The disposablesurgical holder and counter is used by doctors and nurses in operatingrooms and hospitals where it is required to account for all sponges,cottonoids "and other surgical products and items used duringoperations.

Description of the prior art SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The disposablesurgical holder and counter is provided with .an elongated base madefrom an open cell polyethylene foam material. A plurality of holes oropenings are provided in the upper surface of the base. Such openingsare shaped so as to conform at least in part to the configuration of thesurgical elements to be inserted and frictionally secured therein. Inone embodiment an adhesive material is applied to the lower surface ofthe base and is provided with a tear strip which is removed prior toaflixing the base to a support in an operating room. In the otherembodiment a cover is superimposed over the base and the surgicalelements therein. The cover is removed from the base and is secured to asupport in an operating room. The special merit or advantage of thisinvention resides in the fact that a visual count of the sponges, etc.can be made at a glance by the doctor or nurse in charge and thuseliminate any question of sponge countJIf the holes or openings in thebase of the holder or in the case of another embodiment, in the cover ofthe holder are filled the doctor or nurse knows immediately that allclean and used sponges are properly accounted for.

Thus the present invention eliminates the guess work now adherent inaccounting for sponges, gauzes and other surgical elements. The holderis economical to manufacture, eflicient in operation and results insubstantial savings in the time required for the nurse to account forsponges when compared to present methods.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of thedisposable surgical holder and counter;

FIGURE 2 is an end view of the surgical counter and bolder shown inFIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the surgical counter and holder looking inthe direction of arrows 3-3 in FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the surgical counter and holder, in aninverted position, with a portion of the backing removed to expose theadhesive surface on the base thereof;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 55 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the presentinvention, with a portion of the cover broken away and in section toexpose the interior thereof;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 77 ofFIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view of a modified disposable surgical holderand counter, with the cover removed, and taken along the line 88 ofFIGURE 6;

FIGURE 9 is a sectional view through the cover mounted in use on asupport and illustrating a disposable used sponge inserted into a recessin the cover.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The disposable surgical holder andcounter is designated by the numeral 10 and comprises an elongated base12 having a generally transverse rectangular crosssection throughout thelongitudinal extent thereof. The base 12 is provided with a plurality ofgenerally cylindrical openings 14 located on the longitudinal axisthereof between the upper and lower surfaces 16 and 18.

The base 12 is made from a lightweight, yieldable plastic material suchas open cell cellular structures of polyethylene foam material.Polyethylene foam material is lightweight, yieldable or resilient and iseasily cut and drilled to provide the required base configuration andopenings.

The openings 14 are shaped to conform to and frictionally engage theoutside surfaces of the surgical items 20. The openings 14 have axeswhich are perpendicular to and intersect the longitudinal axis of thebase 12. As an example items 20 may be in form of dissector sponges,cottonoids, other types of sponges and various other operating roomproducts and surgical elements. The surgical ,items are firmly held inthe base 12 by the polyethylene foam material and can be easily removedtherefrom due to the yieldability of the foam material. After use in theoperating room, the items 20 are reinserted in the openings 14 in thebase 12.

The lower surface 18 of the base 12 is provided with an adhesivematerial or tacky substance 22 of the ype commonly used for bumperstickers, name tags, etc. A removable tear strip or tacking element 24is placed over the adhesive material 22. The openings 14 extendcompletely through the tear strip 24 as best illustrated in FIGURES 4and 5.

The holder 10, as an example, is 1 wide, 3" long and /2" thick. Theopenings are approximately A" OD. The surgical items 20 are usuallyinserted in the base 12 after the strip 24 has been adhesively securedthereto in order to help to insure that items 20 will remain clean andsterile. The completed packag s 10 are stored in sterilized containersready for use in an operating room or hospital.

The nurse initially peels back the strip 24 and then adhesively securesthe base 12 of the counter 10 to the Mayo stand or to any convenientsupport surface in the operating room. Thus the counter 10 will remainin place ev n if the table turns over or is bumped. In addition thesurgical items 20 remain in the base 12 even though the table is turnedover or is bumped due to the tight or firm frictional contact betweenthe items 20 and the base 12.

The nurse replaces the items 20 in the base 12 after use. Thus thepresent invention eliminates any question of sponge count. The nurse canmake a visual count at a glance. If the holes or openings 18 are filledthe nurse knows that all clean and used sponges or items 20 areaccounted for. With the present invention the valuable time of anoperating room nurse can be used for nursing functions rather than forkeeping track of the sponge count. Hopital costs are lessened as thepresent invention eliminates put up time by the nurse. The pre-packaged4 sterile counter 10 also eliminates the need to place such surgicalitems on safety pins and in test tubes for sterilization as is nowrequired. Upon completion of the operation the operating room nursemakes a final check and then if all of the clean and used sponges areaccounted for disposes of and discards the counter 10.

The counter 10 can be constructed in various sizes and configurations tohold any number of surgical items 20 regardless of their shape. It hasbeen found that five items 20 to a counter is desirable.

The surgical holder and counter 10 may be constructed according to massproduction techniques. As an example, a polyethylene foam sheet of 4' x12' is placed upon a support surface. One side of the sheet is providedwith an adhesive material or substance which is in turn covered by aremovable backing sheet. Thereafter the assembled unit is cut into 12'strips having a width of 1". Thereafter a suitable template is utilizedin conjunction with a drill press whereby the openings 20 are drilledthrough the base 12 and tear strip 24. Thereafter the 12 strip iscut toform a plurality of bases 12 of the proper length.

It should also be appreciated that materials other than polyethylene maybe used with the present invention. In certain cases a rigid plasticmaterial may be used for holding items other than the dissector sponges.Thus the counter of the present invention could be made of a rigidmaterial of a size or configuration depending upon the particular itemsto be inserted therein.

The modified disposable surgical holder and counter is illustrated inFIGURES 6-9 inclusive and is designated bythe numeral 30. The disposableholder and counter 30 comprises a base 32 which, as an example, may beapprox imately 4" square and 4" thick. The base 32 includes an uppersurface 34, a lower surface 36 and side surfaces 37. Located in theupper surface 34 are a plurality of openings 38 which are arranged intwo rows, each row having five openings 38. The base 32 is made from alightweight, yieldable material such as open cell cellular structures ofpolyurethane foam material.

The openings 38 are elongated as illustrated in FIG- URE 6 and eachopening 38 includes a curved inner surface 40. As an example, surgicalelements 42 in the form of sponges or other operating room products areinserted in the openings 38, with the lower portions of the elements 42occupying and filling the corresponding openings 38 asbest illustratedin FIGURE 8. The upper portions of the sponges or elements 42 extendupwardly from the top surface 34 as best illustrated in FIGURES 6 and 8.Thus the elements 42 are supported by the base 32 due to the tight fitand frictional engagement therebetween.

The holder and counter 30 includes a unitary plastic cover 44. T hecover 44 is constructed and arranged to fit over the sponges or elements42 and to completely enclose the base 32 as best illustrated in FIGURE6. The cover 44 includes four side walls 46, each wall 46 having anoutwardly turned flange 48. Each side wall 46 includes a lower portion50 and an upper portion 52. The cover 44 has a top wall or surface 54which is provided with recesses 56 equal in number to the number ofopenings 38 and arranged in the same manner as the openings 38. Thus thetop wall 54 is provided with two rows of recesses 56, the number andarrangement of the recesses 56 corresponding to the number andarrangement of the openings 38 in the base 32. x

Each recess 56 receives the upstanding exposed portion of the sponge orelement 42 which is firmly held in the base 32 as explained previously.The cover 44, which may be made from a lightweight plastic material,extends completely over the top wall or surface 34 and the sides 37 ofthe base 32 and the surgical elements 42 therein as best illustrated inFIGURE 6. The recesses 56 are constructed, arranged and shaped to engagethe outer surfaces of the upstanding portions of the sponges or elements42.

A removable tear strip 60 extends completely across the bottom of thebase 32 and cover 44 and is adhesively secured to the package at leastat the flanges 48 to provide a seal-tight package. In certain cases afiller element 62 may be interposed between the base 32 and the tearstrip 60. The filler element 62 may be adhesively secured to the base32. In certain cases where the filler 62 is not used then the removabletear strip 60 may be adhesively secured to the lower surface 36 of thebase 32 and to the flanges 48 provided on the cover 44.

In use, the plastic cover 44 is removed from the base 32 by initiallybreaking the seal therebetween. If the tear strip 60 is utilized it isremoved from the package and the cover 44 is then separated from thebase 32. The cover 44 is provided on the upper surface thereof withsurfaces 64 and 66 to which is applied an adhesive material. Theadhesive material on surfaces 64 and 66 is exposed and the cover is theninserted and affixed to the support 70 as best illustrated in FIGURE 9.The cover 44 as best shown in FIGURE 9 forms an open mouth receptacle.After the sponges or other surgical elements 42 have been utilized theyare placed in the recesses 56 provided in the cover 54 rather thanreinserting them in the openings 38 in the base 32. The reason for thisis that the used sponges 42 contain excessive blood and it is desirablenot to contaminate the unused sponges 42 in the base 32 with the usedsponges. Thus the nurse places the used sponges in the correspondingcavities S6 in the cover 54. The doctor or nurse may make-an exactvisual accounting of the surgical elements 42 to determine at a glanceand to thereby insure that all of the elements 42 have been removed fromthe patients body. Thereafter the cover containing the used surgicalelements 42 is discarded along with the base 32.

The two fiat surfaces 64 and the two flat surfaces 66 provided on thetop surface of the cover 44 may be provided with removable tear strips68 which are removed in order to expose the adhesive substance forsecuring the cover 44 to the support 70 as illustrated in FIGURE 9.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A disposable surgical holder and counter comprising a base having apair of surfaces, a plurality of openings in one of said surfaces forreceiving a firmly holding surgical elements, and an adhesive materialon the other of said surfaces for securing said base to a supportwhereby the surgical elements may be selectively removed from said baseand then replaced in the openings in said base after use to provide anexact accounting of the surgical elements.

2. The holder and counter defined in claim 1 wherein said base is madefrom a yieldable material.

3. The holder and counter defined in claim 1 wherein said base is madefroma plastic material.

4. The holder and counter defined in claim 1 wherein said base is madefrom an open cell porous plastic material.

5. The holder and counter defined in claim 4 wherein said plasticmaterial is polyethylene foam.

6. The holder and counter defined in claim 1 wherein said adhesivesurface is provided with a removable tear strip.

7. The holder and counter defined in claim 1 wherein said base iselongated, with said openings arranged on the longitudinal axis thereof,and the surfaces defining said openings are adapted to frictionallycontact the surgical elements.

8. The holder and counter defined in claim 7 wherein said base is ofrectangular cross-section throughout its longitudinal extent.

9. The holder and counter defined in claim 8 wherein said openings areof cylindrical configuration, with the axes thereof perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis of said base.

10. A disposable surgical holder and counter comprising a base having aplurality of openings therein for receiving and firmly holding surgicalelements, and a cover provided with a plurality of recesses andenclosing said base and surgical elements to form a seal-tight package,said cover after removal from said base being adapted to be secured to asupport whereby the surgical elements may be selectively removed fromsaid base and then placed in the recesses in said cover after use toprovide an exact accounting of the surgical elements.

11. The holder and counter defined in claim 10 wherein said base is madefrom a yieldable material.

12. The holder and counter defined in claim 10 wherein said base is madefrom an open cell porous plastic material.

13. The holder and counter defined in claim 10 wherein said cover ismade from a plastic material.

14. The holder and counter defined in claim 10 wherein said base isrectangular, with said openings arranged in a pair of rows and thesurfaces defining said openings are adapted to frictionally contact thesurgical elements.

15. The holder and counter defined in claim 10 wherein said base is ofrectangular cross-section throughout its extent.

16. A disposable surgical holder and counter comprising a package havinga plurality of cavities therein for receiving and firmly holdingsurgical elements, said package being adapted to be secured to a supportwhere; by the surgical elements may be selectively removed and thenreplaced in the cavities after use to provide an accounting of thesurgical elements.

17. The disposable surgical holder and counter of claim 16 wherein saidpackage consists of a base in which the cavities are located, with thesurgical elements being substantially enclosed by the surfaces definingsaid cavities.

18. The disposable surgical holder and counter of claim 16 wherein saidpackage consists of a base and a cover, said cavities being defined byopenings in said base and corresponding recesses in said cover, thesurgical elements occupying said openings and recesses, said coverenclosing said base and the surgical elements to form a seal-tightstructure, said cover after removal from said base being adapted to besecured to a support whereby the surgical elements may be selectivelyremoved from said base and then placed in the recesses in said coverafter .use to provide an accounting of the surgical elements.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,119,773 6 1938 Buckner 206-721,650,980 11/ 1927 Campbell 206-12. 2,659,163 11/ 1953 Albee. 2,740,4054/ 1956 Riordan 128296 3,080,963 3/ 1963 Rothgart 206-42 3,285,409 11/1966 Loran 206-72 3,370,697 2/1968 Levey et al. 206-4534 FOREIGN PATENTS326,905 1/ 1958 Switzerland. 705,943 3/1954 Great Britain.

WILLIAM T. DIXSON, JR., Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No 3,481,462 December 2 l969 Annette M. Chapel It is certified that errorappears in the above identified patent and that said Letters Patent arehereby corrected as shown below:

Column 1 lines 62 and 63, "of", first occurrence each occurrence, shouldread and Column 2 line 28 "element' should read elements line 69 "in"should read of Column 3, line 10 "a" should read the line 15 "into"should read in line 45 "ype" should read type line 47, "tacking" shouldread backing line 74 "Hopital" should read Hospital Column 5 line 40 "a"should read and line 50 "froma" should read from a Signed and sealedthis 3rd day of November 1970 (SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M. FLETCHER,JR. WILLIAM E. SCHUYLER, JR

Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents

